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Pirkei Avot
Biblical Faith – with Shmuel “Sam” Peak
Weekly series with new shows available every Tuesday.
Mishnah 29b
Rabbi Elazar HaKappar says: Blessed is He, before Whom there is no iniquity, no forgetfulness, no favoritism and no acceptance of bribery, for everything is His.
Rambam explains “no acceptance of bribery” to mean that HaShem’s judgment is not affected by the fact that a person has done many mitzvoth. He explains the Mishnah to mean that no matter how many mitzvoth one has credit, one is punished for each transgression and rewarded for every mitzvah, because mitzvoth and sins do not cancel each other.
Biblical Faith – with Shmuel “Sam” Peak
Weekly series with new shows available every Tuesday.
Mishnah 29
Rabbi Elazar HaKappar says: the living will be judged.
The closer on is to HaShem, the closer one is to receiving judgment. As an example, Rosh Hashanah is the time of judgment because HaShem comes close to the world on those days. However, the dead, for their part, are not close to HaShem, and hence only the living will be judged. The living refers to both those who are alive now and those who will be living after the dead return to life.
Dedicated to: Steve and Barbara Claus
Biblical Faith – with Shmuel “Sam” Peak
Weekly series with new shows available every Tuesday.
Mishnah 28b
Three things removed the first man from the Garden of Eden. The tree from which he ate appealed to him these three traits; therefore, dragging Adam from the exemplary character of his Creator.
Jealousy: associated with the spirit.
Lust: associated with the body.
Glory: associated with the image of G-d in which mankind was created, for that image deserves honor.
Biblical Faith – with Shmuel “Sam” Peak
Weekly series with new shows available every Tuesday.
Mishnah 28
Rabbi Elazar HaKappar says: Jealousy, lust and glory remove a man from the world.
The human soul consists of three major faculties: the spiritual, the physical and the intellectual.
The spirit, nefesh, is responsible for will, motivation and for such emotions as resentment, jealousy and hatred.
The physical, ruach, maintains the bodily functions such as the digestive system, the reproductive system and their physical desires.
The intellect, neshamay, embraces perception such as the five senses, rational thought, imagination, memory, and understanding.
In memory of: Hosea “HV” Beck
Biblical Faith – with Shmuel “Sam” Peak
Weekly series with new shows available every Tuesday.
Mishnah 26
Rabbi Yose bar Yehuda of Kfar HaBavli says:
One who learns Torah from the Young, to what can he be likened? – to one who eats unripe grapes of drinks unfermented wine from is vat. But one who learns Torah from the old, to what can he likened? – to one who eats ripe grapes or drinks aged wine.
Grapes are a metaphor for reveled knowledge, while wine is a metaphor for hidden knowledge. Whereas grapes are visible, thick and readily grasped; wine lies within the grapes, hidden from sight.
Mishnah 27
Rabbi Meir says: Do not look at the vessel, but what is in it; there is a new vessel filled with old wine and an old vessel that does not even contain new wine.
From this we see that individuals are distinguished by the diversity of knowledge and viewpoint. Therefore, we should select a teacher based only on inner merit.
Biblical Faith – with Shmuel “Sam” Peak
Weekly series with new shows available every Tuesday.
Mishnah 23
Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says: Do not appease your fellow in the time of his anger; do not console him while his dead lies before him; do not question him about his vow at the time he makes it; and do not attempt to see him at the time of his degradation.
Mishnah 24
Shmuel HAKattan says: “When your enemy falls be not glad, and when he stumbles let your heart not be joyous. Lest HaShem see and it displeases Him, and he will turn His wrath from him to you” (Mishlei 24:17-18).
Mishnah 25
Elisha be Avuyah says: One who studies Torah is a child, to what can he be likened? – to ink written on fresh paper. And one who studies Torah as an old man, to what can he be likened? – to ink written on smudged paper.
Dedicated to: Tom and Karen Maitlen
Biblical Faith – with Shmuel “Sam” Peak
Weekly series with new shows available every Tuesday.
Mishnah 22
Rabbi Yaakov says: Better one hour of repentance and good deeds in this world than the entire life of the World-to-Come.
Repentance is possible only in this world, which the previous mishnah referred to as the “lobby” in front of the “banquet hall.” This is our only opportunity to prepare for the World-to-Come, as the “banquet hall” was made only for dinning, not for preparing.